The Irish standard., 1887-01-22
treatment of the Scotch and Irish mem
bers. AT present in Ireland,

landlords and OF England! 10 put 1t
plainly, the English government seems
to have undertaken the work of setting
by the ears the two classes of which
the population Of this country is made
up. If an Irishman is arrested, let us
say, for drink. brought before a magis'
trate. who is it that he finds upon the
bench? Not unfrequently his landlord
or his landlords agent. If there is ques-
tion of a graver charge he is brought
before d jury. and it is seldom jury
composed exclusively OF 'Protestants.
Even the judges belong to the land
lord class: and SO on, through the
whole administrative system, from top
to bottom. The board Of public works,
the board of education, the, grand jur-
les. all are formed upon the same plan.
1t is only in the town council that we
find system of popular representation,
and with What result? Naturally
enough those municipal bodies are
strongly Nationalist; but, then they are
practically without authority. The
lord mayor OF Dublin, for instance, has
not the authority to issue an order to q
policeman in the city OF which he is
the chief magistrate. In asking for
Home Rule, the people OF ireland are
asking only for the right Of managing
those affairs that are exclusively their
own. The chief plea relied upon in
England for Withholding it is that
IF HOME RULE WEE; ESTABLISHED
in Ireland 1t would be made use OF to
effect total separation between tue
two countries. The answer to this is
that the geographical situation Of Ire
land forbids separations; that under the
new state of things friendly relations
with England would be the best safe
guard for Irish prosperity; that Eng
land would continue to be, as that
country at present is, the best and prac-
tically the onlv market for Irish pro-
ducts; and, in fine, that Irishmen have
not that hatred Of England which is so
often ascribed to them, the real object
of their aversion being the monstrous
and cruel government Of their country
by an administration between which
and the people over whom it is placed
there is no bond, no community Of ideas
or OF interests. And taking up the
matter in detail, the advocates OF Home
Rule go on to question their opponents.
IF Irishmen, they say, were at any time
to entertain the thought of separation,
how would that complicate matters?
We should be obliged to organize an
army and to create a anavy--we. a people
who have not as yet been able to pro-
vide ourselves with food sufficient to
keep ourselves alive, and whose num-
bers are just equal to those of the popu-
lation of your one city Of London? Do
you take us for fools to think us capa~
BILE of embarlzing in such an enterprise?
You must give us credit. at all events,
for some common sense. and we have
enough of il to see that our own inter
ests are best secured by being Oh good
terms with England. Give us
OUR OWN NATIONAL GOVERNMENT,
as you have given it to Canada, as you
have given it to the colonies of Austria
liza, and England will have no stauncher
friends than she Will find in us, Was
ever served with greater eff
cacy than by the lrishmen who have
been engaged in her administration or
in her army? What Irish official in her
service has ever failed in her duty?
When has an Irish soldier fighting in
the ranks of her regiments turned his
back upon the enemy in the field Of
battle? Englishmen know all this.
They freely acknowledge it. What
further guarantees do you need? This
is the way in which the Irish case is
stated by the Irish themselves. Their
loyalty and their sense of honor are
proverbial. But over and above all
This, their self-interests alone are sufi-
eient to shut out the thought of separa-
JIOu. uAOSt uu4uCSclOAdpAy 1ACAdAAA t1O
1he present moment is in a state Of dis
content, and Ireland discontented. irri-
lated by injustice and misgovernmen t,
would be source of danger to Eng !
and if she were to become involved in
var with any other power. But Ire
and self-governed and free would be to
England loyal'and a faithful friend.
The past is here the best index to the
uture. AS Lord Aberdeen reminded
lis hearers few days ago at Glasgow,
me of the first acts of the Irish Parlia-
nent in the days of its freedom was
vote Of men and money in aid Of Eng
and at time when she was engaged
n a great continental war.
A Burlington woman hailed a half
rozen tramp the other day: ''Say, come
!round to the back door and I'll give
,ou something When the tramp put
q an appearance, she exclaimed: